White House Official: WeChat is “dead” in America. TikTok still has a chance | Anue Juheng-International Political Economy



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The US Department of Commerce prohibits the confirmation that this Sunday (20) prohibits Americans from downloading WeChat and TikTok abroad, and prohibits American companies from trading between the two. A White House official revealed to CNBC that if TikTok reached a deal on business in the US, there is still the possibility of continuing the transaction, but Tencent’s WeChat is “dead in the United States.”

WeChat ban takes effect in 20 days

The US Department of Commerce prohibits Americans from downloading and updating WeChat and TikTok. US companies cannot continue to provide both applications, which is equivalent to removing them in the United States. The government will not require the public to remove the program. Users who have already downloaded it can continue using it. However, the service of data transmission to WeChat by US companies will be restricted and many functions will be affected. Partial delays or failures are expected after Sunday.

Under the Ministry of Commerce ban, within the scope of the WeChat payment ban, US companies will not be able to “provide transfers or process payments within the US” through the WeChat app, which means that many US companies dealing with China are directly affected.

WeChat is an app that many people use to communicate with family and friends in China, but the Trump administration currently has no intention of allowing WeChat to negotiate transactions like TikTok. With the ban coming into effect on Sunday, Tencent said it would contact the US government and has proposed strengthening security guarantees, hoping to continue providing services in the future.

TikTok expires until November 12

According to the Ministry of Commerce, TikTok is prohibited from downloading and updating in the United States as of Sunday; The White House will determine whether TikTok’s national security concerns have been resolved in accordance with the business terms. If there are still risks, TikTok will be closed as of November 12.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross explained in an interview that TikTok is still available in the United States, but new downloads are not allowed and users cannot update.

This means that Oracle and Walmart will have more time to buy shares in TikTok to win the approval of the President of the United States, Trump. TikTok’s current share structure and software issues for this transaction have not been resolved. White House officials said the deal could be negotiated before the Commerce Department ban takes effect.

Earlier this week, Oracle revealed that it had struck a deal with TikTok. A few days later, Trump declared that he had not yet planned to sign any agreements and that he was not satisfied with the terms of both parties and hoped that American companies would have more shares in the newly established company. Trump said Friday that the transaction is expected to pay off “soon.”

WeChat downloads spike on iPhone on Friday

According to Sensor Tower, WeChat’s download volume on Friday increased by leaps and bounds, and its ranking in the iPhone App Store jumped from 1,000 to 1,500 to rank 100, making it the first time this year to break into the top. 500.

TikTok ranks fourth and has never made it out of the top 15 this year.




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